Low-Carb Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce

This low-carb Dr Pepper barbecue sauce is sweet, smoky, and spicy with real Texas barbecue flavor. It’s easy to make in just a couple of minutes in the blender and goes well with brisket, chicken, or anything else you’d like to put barbecue sauce on.

I love barbecue, which shouldn’t be a total surprise considering that I am from Texas, right? Every Sunday, and I mean every Sunday, we stop at a little place between church and our house and pick up Sunday dinner. I appreciate it because it means I can relax and forget about cooking for a day but it also means I almost always fall off the low-carb wagon because good barbecue sauce is high in carbs.

All of my kids are going to be home for Christmas. With four in the military it takes a major act of God for this to happen — it will be the first Christmas we’ve all been together in about 10 years. It’s the first chance, and probably the last, to get the family pictures I want complete with in-laws and grandkids. You can’t even imagine how excited I am… but it also means I really want to stick to my low -carb lifestyle so I look OK in the pictures. Falling off the low-carb wagon even for one day is just not in the cards.

So while everyone was eating their barbecue yesterday and I was picking at the naked brisket on my plate I started thinking about my recipe for Dr Pepper barbecue sauce and I realized I could make a low-carb version without much trouble. Believe it or not in about five minutes I had exactly what I wanted. It was tangy, spicy, and sweet with a good, thick consistency and just under 1-1/2 carbs per tablespoon.

I think I can live with that.

This is a “raw” sauce – you don’t have to cook it. If you’d like a thicker texture you can simmer it for awhile and that will make the flavors meld a little more and give it a slightly different flavor. Brush it on chicken before you grill it, too. I made southwestern mashed cauliflower to go with it and it was not only delicious — I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day, either.

This recipe makes about a cup and a half — or about 24 tablespoons. I usually only need a tablespoon but even if you use two it’s still under 3 grams of carbs. Make sure you are using a sugar-free tomato paste like Hunt’s, though. Some of them have added sugar.

Maria

Donna Roberts

Marye

May 31, 2016

🙂 I’ll have to try that. I bet that would be good, too!

Darla

Jan 15, 2018

Hello, I’m very excited about your recipes. I was wondering if you were doing this for weight or health reasons or both? And has it helped you in either Area. I’m very much over weight and just started low carb today. I’ve bought many things to help me and my husband stay on track. Any pointers you can give me would be appreciated.